It was midway through the 42-kilometre Niagara Falls International Marathon that Paula Wiltse realized she had a chance to win. The Brockville, Ont., native won the women’s open marathon in 2:51.57.5.
(Mike DiBattista Niagara Falls Review)

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It was midway through the 42-kilometre Niagara Falls International Marathon that Paula Wiltse realized she had a chance to win.

“I switched gears, so to speak,” she said.

Wiltse pulled away from a pack of leaders, and when she looked behind, “no one came with me and I knew if I didn’t hit a wall that I had a shot.”

The Brockville, Ont., native won the women’s open marathon in 2:51.57.5.

“It feels great,” she said. “It’s the first time I’ve done this marathon. Usually I do the half-marathon.”

Wiltse was participating in her first marathon in six years. She took a “cautious approach,” which only cost her a personal goal.

“Obviously I was hoping to win,” she said. “I wanted to break 2:50 but I haven’t run a marathon since 2006.

“I love coming back here. It’s a beautiful course.”

To prepare for the challenging distance, Wiltse increased her training from 90 kilometres to 130 kilometres of running per week.

“It’s basically what you have to do for a marathon,” she said.

Wiltse competes in 10 to 12 long-distance races per year. There were a couple of tough moments during the trek from Buffalo to Table Rock, near the Falls, she admitted, “but otherwise you couldn’t have asked for a better day.”